In October, the National Science Foundation Directorate for Engineering expects to issue a "re-competition" solicitation for four to six national earthquake engineering research centers. The competition to create the infrastructure for the George E. Brown Jr. Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation 2, or NEES2, will take place in fiscal 2013 and 2014. NEES2 funding is expected during fiscal 2015-19. Contingent on the availability of National Science Foundation funds, the Directorate for Engineering expects to seek approval for a NEES2 cooperative agreement in mid-2014.
In 2004, the National Science Foundation created NEES to give researchers the tools to learn how earthquakes and tsunamis affect the buildings, bridges, utility systems and other critical components of today's society. The original NEES is a network of 15 large-scale, experimental sites that feature such advanced tools as shake tables, centrifuges that simulate earthquake effects, unique laboratories, a tsunami wave basin and field-testing equipment.